Gold, Steam and Rail: The Ill-Fated Madame Hopkins Mine
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- Опубліковано 19 гру 2023
- The great deep lead mines stopped operating long ago, and the question many of us have asked is, could there be an untouched deep lead still out there somewhere?
Well I can tell you, there's one hiding beneath the basaltic plains of Bung Bong, near Avoca. The Madame Hopkins Lead was proved by boring in the late nineteenth century, and was found to contain phenomenally heavy deposits of washdirt.
The Madame Hopkins company set to work sinking their shaft in the early 1890s with great optimism, but little did they know, not one speck of gold would ever be released from the treasure chest which lay waiting beneath their feet.
In this video, we're going to look into the story of the ill-fated Madame Hopkins mine, which unfortunately made one of the biggest mistakes you could make in deep lead mining, leaving a huge stretch of the Madame Hopkins Lead totally untouched.
We're also going to check out one of the mine's curious features - or lack thereof. Can you spot something missing here? I'll be meeting with local train driver and rail history enthusiast, Clint Hickson, as we look into this missing feature, and explore one of the lesser known aspects of our fascinating mining history.
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20 Abandoned Mines to Explore in the Victorian Goldfields
www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/bl...
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SPECIAL THANKS TO
Clint Hickson
The owners of the Madame Hopkins mine
Locals who provided information about the mine
The Prospectors and Miners Association ofVictoria
pmav.org.au/
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REFERENCES
Australian Mining Standard, Special Edition, June 1899
Report on the Rapid Geological Survey of the Parish of Bung Bong. Hunter, S. B., 1902
Deep Leads of Victoria. Hunter, S. B., 1909. GSV Memoir 7
Boring for gold - Maryborough Mining District. Harvey, R., Smith, J. T., and Bray, H.B., 1900
Report re proposed boring near Madam Hopkins Shaft, Bung Bong. Howitt, A. M., 1928
Gold and Minerals. Baragwanath, W., 1946
Deep Lead Gold Deposits of Victoria, Canavan, F., 1988. GSV Bulletin 65
Heritage Report, Maryborough Region, Bannear, D., 1994
Deep Lead Mining in Victoria, The Operations of Talbot Alluvials Ltd. O'Malley, G. B.
Sidings and spur lines of Carisbrook. Tully, J.
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IMAGES AND MAPS USED
Prince of Wales Gold Mining Company, lithographed by Herman Deutsch, ca 1862. State Library Victoria
Duke Company's Mine, Timor. Ca 1860-79. State Library Victoria
Section of the Nelson & Wellington Co.'s Shaft, Sebastopol. History of Ballarat, Withers, W. B
GSV - CANAVAN, F., 1988. Poppet head and part of the plant at the Deep Lead Mine worked by Talbot Alluvials Ltd at Caralalup, near Talbot. Historic Photos. Department of Mines, Victoria
GSV - TAYLOR, D.H., WOHLT, K.E., SIMONS, B.A., MAHER, S., MORAND, V.J. & SAPURMAS, P., 2000. Talbot Alluvials Ltd Norburys shaft opened in 1930. Historic Photos. Department of Natural Resources and Environment
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF VICTORIA., 1936. Madam Hopkins Gold Mining Company Ltd Mine, Glenmona. Plan showing leases, drillhole locations. Parish of Glenmona. Plan No 113D1. Mines Department
Railway Map of Victoria, 1900. www.vrhistory.com/VRMaps/Vic1...
[Photo-map of Victoria]. 816 A1, Maryborough [cartographic material] / Aerial Survey of Victoria. [Melbourne]: Dept. of Crown Lands and Survey 1947. State Library Victoria
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Researched, written, filmed and produced by Michelle Ross
www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/
Can we viewers please thank the land owners for allowing Michelle and Grant access for filming all of the mine site relics that were so important to the filming of this episode?
Thank you for helping to preserve a part of the story of Victoria's Goldfields heritage!
Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
(Michelle, can you please pin this comment?)
Thank you very much for speaking in such a clear voice!
What are great story, I think you're doing it fantastic job of bringing back some of our history. Without people like yourself it would be lost forever these days I don't think people are too interested and I'm sure that young people would skip over it and I don't think it's been taught in schools anymore..Keep up the good work.
Thanks heaps! 🙂 Much appreciated 🙂⚒
good to see that the owners of the site both past and present have left the brickwork largely intact for future generations to be able to see. Thanks Michelle for another facinating story on our mining past.
My thanks to the land owner's and anyone else who help, promote and protect such an historical part of our Australian heritage
I've only found your work recently, but I've enjoyed what I've seen so far - keep it coming.
Another amazing doco done by an amazing woman loved watching n learning about madame Hopkins mine thanks Michelle for your efforts
Thanks, much appreciated 🙂
Love your videos! Preofessionaly presented and well researched! Keep up the amazing work mate.
Another informative and interesting video.
The overlays were awesome.
Well done Michelle
Thanks 🙂⚒ had lots of fun with these animations
@@goldfieldsguideThey were excellent animations. They flowed seamlessly with the story and that is the best result.
My location is in the 19th thru early 20th century goldfields of Montana, USA (official state motto: "Oro y Plata" meaning 'gold and silver'). Near antipodal of here is Australia latitude-wise. Really fires my imagination seeing how our neighbors on the other side of the Earth were simultaneously pursuing the same metals.
With headphones on, voiceover audio only in the left channel :(
Thanks I’ll look into that, cheers
Thanks for that! I am totally deaf on the left and heard nothing until I read you comment! 👍🇦🇺😂
That's crazy it's still sitting there. Great information and history Michelle
It’s a very interesting place, amazing to think it’s all still sitting down there 🙂⚒ cheers
another interesting and well made video. thank you.
Thanks, very interesting show, you know that gold is more abundant on the inside of a river bend well that is the same for the ancient river lead that we can't see on land , but boy oh boy there is heaps of gold down there. Cheers.
Yep there’d be plenty of gold hiding down there ⚒⚒⚒ cheers 🙂
I've only found your work recently, but I've enjoyed what I've watched and read so far. I look forward to more in 2024.
Thanks so much 🙂⚒
Yes, Michelle has developed a really cracking good Goldfields History Channel and we are fortunate to be able to enjoy the results! 😊
Great work, yet again Michelle!
Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
Another well made video. Thank you!
Thanks 🙂
Awesome content as usual, love learning about the history of the goldfields. You are amazing the way you tell these tales.❤it 😊
Thank you, glad you’re enjoying the videos 🙂
Enjoyable. Learnt stuff.👍
Another terrific video, thanks so much 👏
Another amazing video!
Brilliant edit mate merry Christmas
Brilliant 👏
Thanks for another informative and very interesting video.
Fascinating.
Your vlogs are so interesting and well researched, congratulations.
Amazing history and opportunity to start that mine again with new technology 😊
Wouldn’t that be cool 😎⚒
That’s awesome Michelle, love your work, drone footage and details well done
CheersCookie
Thanks Cookie! 🙂⚒
Great information as always, keep up the good work !
Thanks 🙂⚒
Have to mine it like Parker and Tony Beets mine . Save top soil down to gold slush pay and put tailings back when there is enough tailings then top soil last , start growing what ever desired .
Too deep to profitably mine open pit unless the assays are massive. And that basalt cap is hard rock, so would require very expensive blasting and muck removal. The old timers weren't fools - they usually found the best ways to mine. I'm sure that land owner would be happy to find someone with a few hundred million to build a mine...but even with ~$2K gold, nobody is interested.
You know I passed that mine a lot. Bung bong love the place. 😊Relatives live in Wareek.
Ahh awesome! 🙂
Great video Michelle. Merry Christmas.
Thank you, merry Christmas to you too 🎄🙂
Hi Michelle, another excellent chapter on Victoria's Goldfield History. There is so much information included, that it makes it difficult to comment! 😅 The mullock heap overburden must have been good basaltic rock for the railways. It makes me wonder if it would be a great source of crushed rock and sand and the gold?
I have left a few other comments elsewhere in this thread for you to read. Before I forget, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you Michelle and to your family. Congratulations on your recent award of the grant to help your channel! Well deserved and that is an understatement!
Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
Thanks so much mark, and thanks for your support on this channel through 2023 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year 🎄🥳🙂 cheers
Well done 👍 👏
Thanks 🙂⚒
❤Thank you Michelle,Merry Christmas 🎉 There is something I would like for Christmas---YOUR VOICE!!!!😊 I want it every where,in my navigator,replace Siri on my phone,in my laptop, on my voicemail,everywhere!! How about a podcast or two or three all about the goldfields!??? Please please please?
Oh yeah!and radio and teevee😊😂❤❤
Haha thanks! 🤣🙂⚒
They are not wrong Michelle! You do have a great voice for media and this channel is showcasing it well.
Funny to say, I am also seeking a 4000 Pound advance on my gold seeking adventures! Cheers
😆🤣👌
The gold field treasures remain..!
With all the water down below could the farmers not benifit from irragation?
The solar panels and water tank would suggest they are doing exactly that.
Great stuff Michele, that Hopkin's lead is a gold mine for the water rights alone. Them Avoca farmer's have got rocks in their heads if they can't see the potential for broad acre hemp pivots as far as the horizon. Not a borehole in sight.
Thanks! 🙂 The value of the water in the Madame Hopkins lead has been understood since it’s discovery. There was talk in the papers of using the rail connection to cart water out from the mine after it shut down, water has been pumped from the shaft in the past, and the farmers today have bores down as well 🙂 such a fascinating mine and history
Proof positive that one man's burden is another man's bonanza. We look at the mullock heaps and ground water as problems for mine operations, whereas the same mullock heap is a bonanza of basaltic rock for railway ballast or a source of crushed rock for concrete construction purposes? Well, with my building background, that is how I view sources of crushed rock! Naturally, the local farmers are interested in the underground water supply for crops and stock watering.
As an aside, I briefly stopped in Avoca to refuel the Support truck I was driving for this year's (2023) Melbourne Grammar School Bluestone Express Orchestra Tour of Wycheproof and Maryborough in early December. Unfortunately, I didn't have any spare time for gold or historical exploration activities during my busy weekend.
Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
Muffled sound. Pity.
I wish to find a woman like you with so much in common. Keep up the great knowledge and passion 😊
G'day, thanks for that information on a company l know nothing about, too you and your family have a wonderful Christmas ⛄☃️ and a fantastic new year, cheers mate Neil 🤠.
Thanks Neil, hope you and yours have a great Christmas 🎄 🙂 cheers!
music , but no audio description at all?? Means nothing withouut audio usually love your videos
Everything was working fine for my viewing about two hours after your comment?
What a pity the sound is shit
Always awesome information. Great work. Great hair. Nice.. 😄😅 Keep up the amazing content 😊
Thank you 🙂